


Somewhere in the Past

by CloudSkyFlakes



Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: F/M, M/M, NielWoon, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, ongwoon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2019-11-27 21:19:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18199454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloudSkyFlakes/pseuds/CloudSkyFlakes
Summary: “I’m sorry, I don’t want to continue this relationship.  The past already told us that we have no future.  Let us accept our fate…” Sungwoon could only apologize while walking away from his boyfriend rather, his ex-boyfriend.





	1. One Fine Spring Day

He had been staring at the boy for an hour now. He looks so angelic, he wonders how can someone have all those perfect facial features in one perfect tiny face…oh, did he mention that the boy is perfection personified? He hopes that the boy will meet her standards. 

He slowly approaches the boy who had just woken up from his slumber. “Hey there, little buddy! Who are you with?” he asked.

The boy, looking dumbfounded, scanned the train station and started looking for his mother. “I’m with my mother,” the boy proudly says.

“I see. So, where is she? I want to talk to her,” he asked.

The boy unconsciously started shaking his leg vigorously while searching for his mother at different directions and replied, “I…..I….don’t know…”

He can see the boy’s fears in his eyes. He pitied the boy so he decided to help him calm down so he asked, “Do you know your mother’s name?”

“My mother’s name is Angel because she is an angel!”

“Witty. What’s her last name?”

“I…I…don’t know…I just know people call her Angel,” the boy shyly replied.

“What’s your name?”

“My name is Sungwoon! That’s S-U-N-…Sungwoon!”

“Sungwoon. What a nice name. What’s your last name?”

“Uhm…Woon? My name is Sung Woon!” This time Sungwoon said his name slowly.

“Okay, Sung...Woon, how old are you?”

The boy then showed two fingers to him. “I’m two years old,” the boy happily replied showing his bunny teeth. “Oh, wait, I’m three! Today is my birthday. My mother and I are going to the amusement park and eat clouds!”

“Clouds?” he asked.

“Yes, those soft sweet clouds you eat at amusement parks! You don’t know them?”

“Oh, you mean cotton candy, errr, clouds, yes, yes, I know them.” “You’re so cute, I’m sure she’ll love you”, he murmured.

He then continued, “Do you want me to go with you to the amusement park?”

“Uhmm…”

“I’ll buy you clouds to eat”, he said.

“Uhmm…okay then, but let’s wait for mother…she’s buying me cloud cake!”

“Cloud cake? Is that delicious?”

“Yes, it’s my favorite!”

“Why do you like clouds?”

“Mother said my name is Cloud, so I like all things cloud, hihihi.”

He thought, “Even the way he laughs is cute. He will be perfect for her.”

“So when is your mother coming?” he asked, after waiting for half an hour.

“I…don’t know…” Sungwoon replied while keeping his head down.

“The amusement park is going to close soon.” He looked at his watch, it’s already a quarter before five. The park closes at 7pm.

“You know what, Sungwoon? Why don’t we go to the train station manager and leave a message for your mother that we’re going to the amusement park first so that she does not need to worry and she can just wait here at around 7pm? You’re okay with that?”

“Uhmm…”

“I know your mother won’t mind since we’re just going to help you celebrate your birthday. We’ll come back quickly. What do you say?”

“Uhmm…”

“I’ll buy you clouds.”

“Okay”, replied Sungwoon.

“Great, let’s go talk to the manager now”, he happily announced, while messaging somebody on his phone, “Meet me at the amusement park entrance in 20 minutes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, all! This is my first time to write and post here, but I would like to give this as my birthday gift to King Cloud. Hope you enjoyed it...updates will be irregular :-)
> 
> Also, this is a product of my imagination based on years of watching dramas, so some plots may be similar. Any resemblance to real-life characters and situations are purely coincidental.


	2. One Hot Summer Day

“Seongwu, are you going to the dance studio?” shouted Seongwu’s mom from the kitchen.

“Yes, Mom, I’ll be attending the 5pm street dance workshop”, replied Seongwu while walking towards the kitchen.

“Great, can you give these to Sungwoon? He must be hungry with all the dancing.” His mom handed him a lunch box containing steak, eggs, fruits, and vegetables and a cloth bag containing two bottles of protein shake. 

“I’m your son but you always take good care of Hyung. What about me?” Seongwu asked.

“Honey, you know I like Sungwoon just like my own son. You have your father and me, but Sungwoon, he…”

“Gotcha! I was only joking, Mom. You’re always so emotional when it comes to Hyung”, interrupted Seongwu and hurriedly left the house with Sungwoon’s food.

‘Seongwu, you…” countered his mom.

\---

“Really, Daniel? Your father is rich as Croesus and yet he enrolled us in this cheap dance studio?” complained Woojin while standing in front of a somewhat outdated three-storey building which badly needed refurbishing with the signage “Sky Dance Castle”.

“Woojin, let’s not be quick to judge. We’re just lost, right, Daniel? Should we go back to the main road?” asked Jaehwan.

Daniel could not answer immediately. He felt that he had let down his best buddies. He asked Woojin and Jaehwan to cancel their plans for the summer break since they will enroll in a one-month intensive dance workshop by the country’s best choreographer whose registration fee is equivalent to one semester of tuition fee. Daniel told his mother about this, but apparently, his mother told his father about his summer plans so after coming home from school one night… 

“Daniel! In my office…now!” yelled his father.

Daniel gently knocked and slowly opened the door to his father’s office. He then prepared himself for what’s going to happen next.

“Daniel! What’s this I heard from your mother?”

“About what, Dad?” replied Daniel, although he knew exactly what his father was referring to.

“About enrolling in that expensive dance studio.” 

“Oh, that. It’s actually cheap, considering the caliber of the choreographer.” replied Daniel.

“Cheap?!? Do you think I just throw money away? Money does not grow on trees, Daniel.”

“Then let’s plant one”, Daniel jokingly replied.

“I’m serious, Daniel!”

“Well, Dad, you have lots of money. I don’t see any problem. It’s not like enrolling in the dance studio will make us poor.”

“Daniel, you clearly don’t see the point! This is a waste of money!”

“It’s not a waste of money. You may think of it as investment in our future”, replied Daniel.

“Our future?” his father curiously asked.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you, I have already told Woojin and Jaehwan that you will be paying for their registration fees as well”, Daniel sheepishly said.

“DANIEL!!! We are not a charity! Your friends can pay for their own fees!”

“But,Dad, I already told them you will pay and they already cancelled their planned trips in favor of this workshop.”

“NO, tell them I will not pay anything. They can just go with their original plans.”

“DAD, they will hate me!”

“Then they are not your real friends.”

“I promise to study hard from now on…please, let us go to this dance workshop…” pleaded Daniel.

“No…my decision is final. If you don’t have anything to say, leave.” Daniel’s father then continued working on the details of his new project proposal. 

Daniel was not going to leave the room until his father agrees to pay, so he compromised by saying, “I won’t travel abroad this summer. In return, I want you to pay for my dance crew’s registration fees. Do we have a deal?” Daniel then extended his hand to his father, waiting for a handshake to seal the deal.

His father looked at him and secretly wondered, “Is now the opportune time for them to meet?” Daniel’s father then came up with an idea. “Okay, Daniel, in exchange for your travel, I’ll let you choose: A: I’ll pay for your fees at that expensive dance studio or B: I’ll pay for you and your friends’ fees at my chosen dance studio?”

“I chose C. You pay for mine and my friends’ fees at that choreographer’s dance studio.” replied Daniel.

“There’s no option C, Daniel! It ‘s either A or B or no deal at all.” 

Daniel wanted badly to enroll in the choreographer’s dance workshop, but it will be no fun at all without Woojin and Jaehwan. He is also afraid that it might sour their friendship if he chose A.

“What’s your chosen dance studio like?” asked Daniel.

“It’s one of the best dance studios that I know of.” replied his father.

“Okay, I trust your taste. I choose B”, replied Daniel.

“Great choice! I’ll ask the secretary to arrange these for you and your friends”, said his father who thought to himself, “This is fate, Daniel. You two will finally meet…”

\---

“Daniel, yoohoo!!! Earth to Daniel!” shouted Woojin.

Daniel then regained his composure and said, “Let’s go up the third floor and warm up, the session will start in 15 minutes.”

Although annoyed, Woojin and Jaehwan followed Daniel’s lead and went up the stairs going to the third floor but they were surprised to see a handful of people gathered outside one of the rooms on the second floor. 

“Woah, I never thought there will be so many people here. This place might not be so bad after all”, said Jaehwan.

“Let’s check it out”, said Woojin who is now leading the way towards the crowd.

When Daniel caught up with Woojin, he thought he heard his friend whisper, “Heaven”. He was about to ask Woojin, when he saw a short black-haired lady wearing white flowy silk top and trousers dancing passionately to Celine Dion’s “My Heart will Go On”. The fair complexion, the double-eyelid, the long eyelashes, the perfect nose, the pink cheeks, the full lips…everything is perfect…even the height is perfect. Daniel believes he’s in love. He was still busy admiring his newfound crush through the room’s door window when someone shouted, “Guys, time’s up! The street dance session starts in five minutes! Go up now!”

Daniel took one last look on the dancing lady before he turned around and almost bumped into an equally tall guy carrying a lunch box and a cloth bag who hurriedly entered the room where his crush is. “Oh, he must be her boyfriend”, Daniel thought. Daniel couldn’t have been more wrong.


	3. One Cold Summer Night

“Eyy, Daniel, do something about Thor”, said Jaehwan laughing while doing some stretching in the far right corner of the room. Woojin, who was doing warm-up exercises, joined Jaehwan in teasing Daniel, “so who got you hard?” Although embarrassed, Daniel was about to answer his friends’ questions when he saw ‘the boyfriend’ just entered the room and started giving the people in the room a high five.

When Seongwu saw the group of Daniel, he confidently approached the group to introduce himself. “Hi, it’s my first time seeing you here, I’m Seongwu”, said Seongwu while stretching his hand to Daniel. Then the purple-haired boy beside Seongwu said, “You can call him ‘Prince’. I’m Daehwi, by the way.”

“Prince?” Daniel asked.

“Yeah, since his family owns this studio.” “And because he is the boyfriend of Princess”, interjected the blond-haired boy who was standing beside Daehwi and who introduced himself as Jinyoung.

“Who is Princess?” asked Jaehwan.

“She is our ballroom dancing queen, I mean, princess, no, queen”, replied Jinyoung. Chuckling softly, Daehwi added, “and if you’ve been to the second floor, the person who most likely had given you that”, while pointing to Daniel’s pants.

Blushing, Daniel retorted, “I was doing some warm-up exercises.” To change the topic of conversation and seeing Seongwu’s hand still extended, Daniel shook the hands of Seongwu with force and said, “I’m Daniel, and this is Jaehwan, and that one is Woojin. We’re part of Kang Crew.”

“Kangaroo?” asked Seongwu, while releasing Daniel’s tight grip of his hand.

“No, Kang Crew, since my last name is Kang”, corrected Daniel while thinking, “Shhh…is this guy deaf? Why would we call ourselves kangaroos?”

“Oh, so you’re a dance crew. Are you professionals?”

Insulted by Seongwu’s question, Daniel suddenly raised his voice and said, “What do you mean by that?” which earned other people’s stares.

Sensing the cold atmosphere, Woojin said, “I think, Daniel, he is asking whether we do it for a living?” Then he faced Seongwu and replied, “No, but we join competitions and had won some.”

Just then, the instructor came into the room so Seongwu said, “Oh, that’s good to know. I hope you find this workshop helpful. If you need anything, just let me know.” then went to the middle part of the room. Daniel thought, “Tsk, I don’t need your help.” then he walked out of the room.

\---  
When Seongwu barged into the ballroom dancing practice room, the instructor announced, “Hey, Princess, your boyfriend’s here. Let’s take a break.”

Seongwu then gave a peck on the lips of his girlfriend then said, “Dinner later?” to which his girlfriend nodded then noticed that Seongwu’s hands are full, “What are you holding? Are those for me?” “No, babe”, replied Seongwu then handed the lunch box and cloth bag to Sungwoon. “Mom asked me to give these to you.”

“Oh, thanks, Seongwu”, replied Sungwoon and then he told his dancing partner who is sporting a long and straight black hair and wearing a white silky dress, “Princess, I’ll eat these outside.”

Sitting on the stair steps, Sungwoon was halfway into his second protein shake when someone sat beside him. He was surprised to hear his seatmate say, “Hello, Princess” so he immediately turned to his side to see his seatmate’s face, and was contemplating whether he should punch his face or kick his long legs because his seatmate is clearly flirting with him, but calling him a princess when he’s a guy? Is this guy blind? He finally settled on kicking the guy’s long legs, when the guy smiled at him and blurted out, “Princess”. And then it hit him that this guy might be asking him about Princess. Since he did not want to ruin the relationship of Seongwu and Princess, Sungwoon got up, ignored his seatmate, and went inside the practice room. Daniel was left alone on the stair steps. With Woojin and Jaehwan still in the dance workshop and with nothing to do, Daniel headed upstairs while thinking, “So she is mute. She must have been dating that deaf guy out of pity. I will show you true love, my princess. Watch out, you’ll be mine soon…”


	4. One Rainy Night

At the newly-renovated Kang’s mansion, Daniel’s room located on the second floor was designed like a hotel suite complete with amenities: a sofa set, a mini kitchenette (mostly for heating food rather than for cooking), dining table and chairs for four (where the dining table doubles as a writing table), a king sized-bed, and a bathroom with bath tub and shower and Daniel had the shower water pressure set as rainshower. 

His father is the one who suggested a balcony outside his bedroom which he strongly opposed at that time. When asked why he was opposing, Daniel could not think of a reason, except that he just wanted to go against his father’s decision. In the end, the two were able to get into some compromise: Daniel got his 75-inch micro-LED television in his bedroom and a walk-in closet where he can store hundreds of his branded shoes, clothes, and accessories, which were mostly LVs; while his father prevailed in the decision to add a balcony to the design and to go with a bath tub in the bathroom instead of the jacuzzi that Daniel wanted.

Lying on the bed in his room, Daniel was checking out his social media accounts with his phone while having on repeat Celine Dion’s famous song from the movie “Titanic” in the background. Ever since the day he met Princess, Daniel cannot stop thinking about her...He asked about the song, watched the movie in full three times, despite falling asleep during some parts, and repeated snippets of his favorite scenes countless of times. He felt like a teenager having his first crush and blaming puberty for his wet beddings every day upon waking up. 

He dreamed about the two of them dancing sensually to the movie theme song, while carelessly touching each other’s body and ending up at the back seat of the car all sweaty from their lovemaking and only a handprint as evidence. But he knows it will not happen because he does not own a car since he does not know how to drive, and his father will get mad at him if he dirties any of the cars. So, for other nights, he tried to be more realistic and instead visualizes his princess with dripping wet hair, wet clothes, and lustful stare in the shower while he is devouring her luscious lips, or the two of them in his room’s balcony doing that famous pose from the movie while he is squeezing her tiny waist and kissing her neck non-stop. It is times like these that he is grateful his father is firm in his decisions. 

Daniel already put his phone down and was now lying on his stomach trying to sleep when he pondered, “I have been diligently attending the street dance workshop, but how come I have never seen my princess after that day? Hope I’ll see her again soon so that I can execute my plan on capturing her heart. Wait…plan…what plan am I talking about? I don’t have one yet.”

He continued thinking, “Hmm…what would be the best way for me to capture her heart? She seems to enjoy eating. Should I buy her food then? But what if she gets fat? Would I still want her to be my girlfriend? Scratch that…what am I thinking?!? Of course, I’ll still like her…I’m not after her body only…she’s a beauty to begin with…but those hips, how can she dance like that? And she’s so petite I want to crush her real bad until she moans my name…But wait, she’s mute, so would it still be fun…DANIEL, stop this, what are you thinking?!? You should be getting to know her better first, not thinking of ways to get her to bed! But seriously, if she is mute, I will need help…I might as well take that offer of Seongwu…”


	5. One Cloudy Day

It has now become a habit for Daniel and his friends to go to the dance studio at least an hour before the actual street dance session schedule. Daniel wanted to be there after lunch time to see his crush, but the dance studio policy is that participants can enter the room only within one hour prior to start of session. Although Daniel did not explicitly mention to his friends his reason for wanting them to be at the studio one hour earlier than scheduled, Woojin and Jaehwan do not seem to mind since they can practice some of their routines plus interact with other participants like Daehwi, Jinyoung, and sometimes Seongwu if he had already arrived prior to the start of the session. 

Their group of friends was laughing hard at Woojin’s antics, when Daniel felt the urge to go to the toilet. He excused himself and headed towards the end of the third floor corridor only to find that the toilet is currently out of order. Hearing Jaehwan’s crazy laugh echo throughout the third floor corridor, he went down the stairs towards the end of the second floor corridor but not without peeking through the window of the ballroom dancing room. There, he saw the person he had wanted to see the most these past few days. 

Daniel stood motionless outside the room while watching his crush dance seductively. Daniel thought, “Oh, she’s wearing a thin white top today…wait…is that dirt on her left chest? Oh, there is also one on her right chest? Is that what I think it is? Her top is see-through and she’s not wearing any undergarment?!?” Upon feeling something different with his body, Daniel decided against entering the room and talking to his crush. Instead, he hurriedly went to the toilet to take care of his matter.

He was standing at the urinal, feeling a lot of pain because he cannot pee with his current condition while at the same time waiting it out, when the toilet door opens. He was so surprised to see his crush enter the toilet that he actually flashed his private part which was still hard. He was expecting his crush to scream at him and show disgust but his crush did not show any reaction to him or the situation which confused him more. He thought, “Why is she here? Is this a common toilet where both male and female can use it? Has she seen lots of these that she does not get bothered by these anymore?” While his crush was inside the cubicle, Daniel took this as an opportunity to disappear from his crush; he hurriedly zipped his pants, went out of the toilet, checked the toilet signage, and went back to the dance session. His plan to capture his crush’s heart will have to wait…

When he went back, Daniel was sweating and his eyes were unfocused. Woojin quipped, “Daniel, you looked like you’ve seen a ghost. Are you okay?” Jaehwan added, “Do you want to go home?” Just before Daniel can respond, he peed in his pants…good thing he brought extra clothes with him.

\---

After their dance session and to liven up Daniel’s mood, Jaehwan invited their new friends to eat pizza at the pizza place one block away from the dance studio. Daniel, Woojin, and Jaehwan sat at the bench with their backs facing the road, while Seongwu, Daehwi, and Jinyoung sat at the bench facing the road. Despite his embarrassing encounters with his crush and his friends today, Daniel feels that he can still salvage this day with new information about his crush. 

“So, Daniel hyung, tell us, did you really see a ghost?” asked Daehwi after placing their order and waiting for the food to arrive.

“Just so you know, it’s April Fool’s Day today and not Halloween.” laughed Jaehwan.

With this, Daniel laughed at himself, “Oh, it must be a prank for April Fool’s then. I saw Princess entered the toilet while I was inside which gave me the shock of my life, haha.”

Everybody else went silent. “Uhm, Daniel hyung, are you sure it’s Princess? You did not enter the female toilet?” asked Jinyoung.

“Of course not, I checked the signage, it was clearly for males. There was a urinal, do girls’ toilet have urinals, too?” snorted Daniel.

“But why would Princess enter a male toilet?” asked Daehwi to Seongwu.

Before Seongwu can respond, Jinyoung shouted, “Oh, Sungwoon hyung!” while pointing to the road. Sungwoon was wearing a black cap, black mask, white cotton shirt, black jeans, and sneakers while walking. Daniel turned his head around and even with most of his face covered, he was able to recognize his crush then uttered softly, “Sungwoon hyung?”

“Oh, he was the dancing partner of Princess, right?” asked Woojin.

Daniel, getting more confused than ever, asked Woojin, “When did you know?”

“What do you mean ‘when’? I already noticed it the first time I saw them dancing.”

“Them dancing? Who are ‘them’?”

“Haha, Daniel, I think the ghost made you crazy! The first day we went into the dance studio, there were a couple of girls and boys who were wearing white and dancing. I thought they all look like angels. It was really like seeing heaven right on earth.” answered Woojin.

Daniel thought, “How come I did not notice the others? And he really was a guy so he could have entered the male toilet and see my manhood without feeling anything, right? But how can that be? Why did I assume her to be a female? Am I crazy? Why am I falling in love with another male? Wait…is she, I mean, is he a mute? I got to confirm these tonight.”

“So Sungwoon hyung is a he? Is he mute?” asked Daniel.

“Oh my, Daniel hyung, I think you’re not in your proper mind right now. Of course Sungwoon hyung is a he. You can clearly see his junk, especially when he’s wearing white trousers.” said Daehwi. Daehwi continued, “And he is not mute…Sungwoon hyung just does not want to talk to strangers a lot, isn’t that right, Seongwu hyung?”

Seongwu responded, “Uhm…yes, that’s right, Daehwi…So about Princess…” “Oh, I was just joking around, Happy April Fool’s Day!” said Daniel, which earned laughter from the group. Just then, the group’s order of two family-sized pizzas came. “Let’s dig in, this will be Daniel’s treat, and that’s no joke!” said Jaehwan. Daniel was eating his second slice of meat lover’s pizza while thinking, “What have I gotten myself into” and he was not referring to the pizza treat.


	6. That Cloudy Day

When the pizza arrived, Seongwu excused himself from the group to invite Sungwoon over. He caught up with him more than one block away from the pizza place. “Hyung”, he shouted. Sungwoon turned around and saw Seongwu bending his body forward while holding on to his hips and gasping for air from running.

“Oh, Seongwu, do you need something from me?” asked Sungwoon.

“Would you like to join us for dinner? We are just at the pizza place right there”, replied Seongwu while pointing to the direction where he came from.

“No, thanks, I’m having dinner at your house.”

“Oh, Mom invited you over? Let’s go!” said Seongwu while pulling Sungwoon’s hand and briskly walking towards their house. When Sungwoon did not move an inch then started to fidget, Seongwu belatedly realized his mistake, so he immediately let go of Sungwoon’s hand. “I’m sorry, Hyung, I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s okay… I’m okay…you should go back to that pizza place…your friends might be waiting” replied Sungwoon.

“Well, they’re your friends as well, although we have some newfound friends from the workshop. They are the ones treating us!” Seongwu happily informed his hyung.

“Seongwu, that’s not nice! You should be the one treating since it’s your dance studio. You should welcome them with a treat”, replied Sungwoon. 

“Hyung, it’s your dance studio, too. And I think it would not be nice to not accept their treat, don’t you think so? Don’t worry, I’ll treat them next time”, defended Seongwu.

“Hmm, I guess you have a point. If you say so…I’ll get going then”, replied Sungwoon.

“Don’t you want to meet our new friends?” asked Seongwu.

“Probably next time, I’m running late”, replied Sungwoon.

“See you when I get home?” asked Seongwu.

“Yeah…sure…” Sungwoon halfheartedly replied while walking towards the direction of Seongwu’s house.

\---

“Is Seongwu coming back? The pizza’s getting cold”, asked Jaehwan.

“Oh, you can eat Seongwu hyung’s share, we can order additional IF he comes back”, replied Daehwi while putting emphasis on one word.

“Why won’t he come back? Did he not just invite Sungwoon hyung to come over here?” Daniel curiously asked while his heart was beating like crazy for the possibility of seeing his crush up close.

“Uhmm, well…you know…it’s Sungwoon hyung; they might have a lot of catching up to do”, replied Daehwi.

Daniel unconsciously vocalized his inner thoughts, “Well, I don’t know. Why do they need to do catching up?”

“Woah, Daniel, from your tone, people will assume you’re jealous. Chill…here, have some iced tea”, Woojin said while filling Daniel’s glass with more iced tea.

“It’s complicated. Let’s just say that their relationship goes way back”, Jinyoung shared to the group.

“Complicated? Relationship? I thought Seongwu’s girlfriend is Princess?” asked Woojin.

“Yes, that’s correct, but Seongwu hyung and Sungwoon hyung…I’m not sure if it’s alright to say this…they used to live together”, replied Jinyoung.

“They lived together? How did you know that?” Daniel furiously asked.

“Well, I heard it from a reliable source”, said Jinyoung

Just then, Seongwu walked into the restaurant. “Oh, you’re alone. Where’s Sungwoon hyung?”, asked Daehwi. “He will not be able to join us today…he’ll be having dinner with Mom”, replied Seongwu. Daniel thought, “Things are getting more complicated. I need to rethink my strategies and this one-sided crush. Why does it have to be this hard to fall in love?”


	7. One Warm Night

Seongwu’s mom had just placed the pot of ginseng chicken soup on the dinner table when the doorbell rang. She immediately opened the door and smiled when she sees the person standing at the door. “Sungwoon, you came!” Seongwu’s mom happily screamed. She wanted to hug the boy who she misses dearly but decided against it. She has asked Seongwu to invite Sungwoon for dinner many times before but the latter always declines the invitation. When she saw Sungwoon at the dance studio a few hours ago, she told him to go to their house later and eat dinner with her. Sungwoon just bowed then thanked her for the invitation; they did not really talk much.

“Yes, M…” Sungwoon hesitated for a moment and instead said, “I’m here.” He bowed to the hostess while taking off his shoes at the doorstep, meanwhile Seongwu’s mom already went back to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Seeing that the dinner table has not been set, Sungwoon offered, ”Uhm…is there anything I can do to help?”

“Is it okay, Sweetie? Please set the table for three and tell Seongwu to eat dinner here”, yelled Seongwu’s mom from the kitchen. 

“Okay”, replied Sungwoon who went to the kitchen and got the silverwares, utensils, and glasses from the cupboard. “But I just saw Seongwu, he’s eating with his friends at the pizza place, he won’t be able to join us. Is uhm…D…there somebody else joining us for dinner?” Sungwoon shyly asked.

“That kid! I already told him he should be here since we’ll be having a guest. When will he listen to me?” Seongwu’s mom angrily replied then continued, “No, Sweetie, it’s just you and me; Dad will be back tomorrow”. Sungwoon heaved a sigh of relief; He does not think he is ready to face Seongwu’s dad after that incident.

The two were having their dinner quietly. Although both Seongwu’s mom and Sungwoon are chatty and had a good relationship, both are being careful in their words to not bring up the past. Seongwu’s mom was the one to start the conversation.

“Do you have anything else to do today, Sweetie? Do you want to stay here for the night?”

Sungwoon almost choked when he heard the second question, to which he responded, “Yes, I’ll be picking up Minhyun from the airport, so I won’t stay here for the night.”

“Oh, how’s Minhyun?”

“He’s fine, he went to Japan for the summer break.”

“That’s good to hear. You know, I’m so thankful that you have Minhyun by your side”, said Seongwu’s mom while extending her hand to gently touch and pat Sungwoon’s hands. Sungwoon flinched and started shaking when Seongwu’s mom asked, “Is this okay, Sweetie?” while looking at their joined hands. Sungwoon replied, “Yes, it’s okay since it’s you, M…Ma’am”. Seongwu’s mom then tapped his hand lightly then reminded him that, “Sungwoon, it’s Mom, I’ll always be your Mom no matter what, always remember that, and Seongwu’s dad will always be your Dad. You don’t have to worry about Dad anymore, he is doing well now. This house is always open if you want to come live here again. 

Seongwu’s mom then retreated her hands and said, “After you left, this house does not feel the same anymore. Seongwu’s always not home and had been busy with dancing and I don’t know what else. Dad has been busy with his work and out-of-town trips so I also rarely see him as well. So, Sweetie, visit me often so I don’t get so lonely, okay? Also, talk with Seongwu and find out what he’s been up to lately…I’m scared for that kid, he might be friends with people with bad intentions and those who will negatively influence his life…you know he only listens to you.” 

Sungwoon responded, “I will do that, Mom. But you know, I think Seongwu is still good…he has Princess by his side.”

“Princess? You mean his girlfriend? I don’t trust that girl.”

“Why not? Have you met her? She’s super nice.”

“Yes, I have met her a few times. I don’t believe that a ‘super nice’ person like her exists. I am also not sure what her motive to Seongwu is.”

“What do you mean ‘her motive’? She likes Seongwu and Seongwu likes her.”

“Seongwu is still in love with his first love. If she is super pretty and super nice like what everybody else says, then she can choose whoever she wants. Why my Seongwu then?”

Sungwoon was taken aback by what he had just heard. “Isn’t Princess Seongwu’s first love? Did Seongwu have someone else prior to her?” Sungwoon and Seongwu used to share secrets with each other, so not knowing Seongwu’s first love felt like a betrayal to Sungwoon.

Seongwu’s mom then rephrased her statement, “I mean I don’t think Seongwu’s in love with Princess. Anyway, Sweetie, what time do you have to pick up Minhyun?” 

“I’m back!” shouted Seongwu. Hearing the familiar voice and without looking at the clock, Sungwoon responded, “Oh, right. Thanks for the dinner, Mom. I’ll leave immediately after helping you with the dishes.” “No, it’s okay, go, I can take care of these myself. Minhyun might be waiting for you”, replied Seongwu’s mom. “No, it’s okay, I still have some time to spare”, replied Sungwoon. But with Seongwu’s mom‘s insistence, Sungwoon finds himself saying his goodbyes to Seongwu and his mom without doing the dishes.

While walking back towards the direction of his shared room with Minhyun, Sungwoon thought, “Tonight’s going to be another long lonely night…”


	8. That Fine Spring Day

Sungwoon finally arrived at a pitch-black room. He dared not open the lights since he will see how messy the room is since Minhyun left for Japan: clothes scattered on the couch and on the floor, used pots and utensils lying on the sink and on the kitchen table, and dust gathering on all their pieces of furniture. He found his way to the bedroom, opened the lights, and plopped down on his bed. The only thing he found in order is Minhyun’s bed. His bed sheet and pillow cases reeked of sweat and tears, yet he did not have the energy to change these. He thinks, “Minhyun will change these, so why do I need to bother? I hope Minhyun comes home soon.” He fell asleep soon after and in his dreams, he found himself missing his baby yet again.

\---

Seongwu was already lying on his bed, replaying his hyung and girlfriend’s sensual dance practice video on his mobile phone when Seongwu started to become emotional because was reminded of his first love whom he misses so much…He hopes he has the power to turn back time and make the two of them be together for eternity…

\---

Seongwu’s mom found herself alone in her bedroom, looking through old photographs, and reminiscing the day he first met Sungwoon…that day which changed their family’s lives…

[Flashback: continuation to “One Fine Spring Day”]

“Faye, where are you? Are you near the amusement park?” Peter, Faye’s husband, said over the phone while holding little Sungwoon by the hand. Sungwoon had just finished riding “Pegasus” which is actually the carousel and was happily eating his ‘cloud’ and was completely oblivious to the conversation which would greatly impact his life.

“Why would I go there?” Faye responded.

“I have a surprise for you…I think you’ll like it. Please come meet me here at the park”, replied Peter.

“Peter, whatever surprise that is, I’m not interested! I’m not a kid, why would I be excited at the amusement park?” Faye angrily said.

“So where are you now?” asked Peter.

“At home, where else?” replied Faye.

“Okay, don’t go anywhere, I’ll bring the surprise to you there.” Peter happily said while ending the call with Faye. He then looked at Sungwoon and asked, “Sungwoon, is it okay if we go somewhere else first before we meet your mom at the train station? We’ll be quick…I promise.”

For Sungwoon, Peter is a good person who has done nothing but let him eat and ride whatever he wanted, so without wasting time, Sungwoon nodded his head and said, “Okay.”

Sungwoon was escorted to a gated subdivision, which was a walking distance from the amusement park. He was then led to one of the few houses near the entrance. Peter rang the doorbell and they were greeted by a chubby middle-aged woman whose cheeks Peter planted a kiss on. The woman stared intently at Sungwoon then asked Peter, “Who is that boy?” 

“Do you like him? That’s my surprise for you!” Peter happily informed his wife Faye.

“Surprise? Oh my, Peter, did you kidnap this boy?” Faye inquired.

“Of course not! I don’t do illegal stuff. I just…borrowed him for an hour or two. I thought you’ll like him”, responded Peter.

“Does his parents know about this?” asked Faye.

“I saw him sleeping at the train station when I was on my way home after attending the conference. I was going to ask permission but his mother was not around. I left a note with the train station manager in case his mother comes back so that she does not get worried. I also left my mobile number with them just in case”, Peter proudly shared then reiterated his question, “Do you like him?”

“He’s a beauty at such a young age…he reminds me of A…a certain someone…” replied Faye.

“I knew it! When I first saw him, he reminded me of your best friend. I just thought this kid might be able to help you cope with your post-natal depression; it’s been more than half a year, Faye…” Both Peter and Faye went silent, then Peter continued, “We still have half an hour to spare before I return this kid back to his mother. I will also try to talk it out with his mother to allow us to see him more often for your faster recovery. I can pay her for that. If she does not agree, then I won’t force her. So I’ll take your picture with him now just in case his mother does not agree.” Peter voiced out his plans to his wife.

Peter ushered Sungwoon to sit on the living room couch while Faye happily poses for the camera. Peter was able to take their picture when Sungwoon stood up and went to the crib which was placed near the living room window. Sungwoon looked down and saw a sleeping baby on the crib. He was wearing his favorite color, a baby-blue-colored onesies. “Oh, what a cute baby!” screamed Sungwoon. Just then, the baby slowly opened his eyes and stared at Sungwoon. “Hi, baby, I’m Sungwoon, what’s your name?” Faye smiled at Sungwoon’s cuteness then answered Sungwoon, “He’s just seven months old, Sweetie, he cannot talk yet…and he does not have a name yet.” Peter then turned to Faye and asked, “Don’t you think it’s time that we give the baby a name?” Hearing this, Faye then turned to Sungwoon, “what’s your name, Sweetie?” 

“Sungwoon! My name is Sungwoon, S-U-N-…G…-Woon…Sungwoon! I’m three years old.”

“What a nice name, Sungwoon! I hope the baby turns out as smart and charming as you, so I’ll name the baby after you. His name is Sungwoo, S-U-N-G-Woo.” 

“What, he will have the same name as me?” Sungwoon curiously asked. 

Peter then chimed in, “Probably not too similar, we can have his name spelled differently but same pronunciation like…I don’t know, Seongwu?”

“Hi, Seongwu!” Sungwoon said to the baby. “Hmm, uhm… I think I’ll just call you ‘Baby’. Hi, Baby!” said Sungwoon.


	9. A Brand New Day

It’s a few minutes past 7pm and Peter was rushing towards the train station with little Sungwoon in tow. They saw a commotion in the alley near the station but Peter did not dare to stop and ask curious bystanders since Sungwoon’s mom might be waiting already. When he reached the station, he scanned the place hoping to see a middle-aged woman sitting on the bench patiently waiting for them. Having seen no one fits his image of Sungwoon’s mother, Peter then bent down and asked Sungwoon, “Sungwoon, do you see your mother anywhere?” Tired from the excitement of being in an amusement park and from playing with a baby, sleepy-eyed Sungwoon was searching for his mother and said, “No, mother’s not here.” Peter then escorted Sungwoon to sit on one of the benches and said, “Sungwoon, don’t go anywhere, I will just talk to the station manager, your mother might have left a message.” 

When Peter returned after talking to the station manager, he saw Sungwoon in the same state as when he initially found him, which is lying down on the bench sleeping soundly but this time with light snores escaping his every breath. Peter thought, “He must be tired from all that he did today.” He sat down then placed Sungwoon’s head on his lap. He then messaged his wife, “I might be a little late; we’re still waiting for Sungwoon’s mom to arrive.” Immediately thereafter, Peter drifted to sleep amidst the loud siren somewhere nearby.

\---

The next time Peter woke up was because the station guard was informing them that the last train is approaching and that the station is closing soon. Looking at the time, Peter was surprised to know that he had slept for nearly three hours. He then remembered Sungwoon and was glad to know that the kid was still asleep on his lap. He cursed at himself when he gently lifted Sungwoon’s head and tried to stand up since he felt a painful shock to his legs. He then heard his stomach grumbled. “Oh, right, I haven’t eaten anything yet.” He then tapped Sungwoon on the shoulders to wake him up and thought to himself, “He’s not waking up…well, I guess it’s okay for him to not eat anymore. Meanwhile, I’ll have to eat something. Hope Faye is feeling better and had cooked some dinner for us.” Peter then piggybacked sleeping Sungwoon and headed straight towards their house.

\---

What used to be a daily 4pm habit has now been reduced to an occasional visit to the train station. It has been more than one year since Sungwoon last saw his mother and he now vaguely remembers his mother’s face. He regretted not having his mother’s picture, not knowing his mother’s name, and not memorizing his home address when his mother asked him to. Surprisingly, although he is alone, he does not feel lonely. Peter, Faye, and Seongwu keep him company and had accepted him as part of the family. Although Peter and Faye wanted to legally adopt Sungwoon, they cannot, since under the law, they would need Sungwoon’s mother’s consent, so they simply settled for Sungwoon to live with them.

“Sungwoon sweetie, you’ve already reached school age so you have to go to school when school opens in September.” Faye then informed Sungwoon that she will enroll him in the school near their house but they will have to visit the school director to assess his skills first. Fortunately for Sungwoon, Faye and Peter’s house is located inside the subdivision which is one of the many subdivisions in a rather small city. It has a school, a church, a grocery, an amusement park, a mall, a police station, a fire station, a clinic, and many neighborhood shops selling various goods and services. Although accessible by train, there is not much public transportation in the place so people normally walk, ride a bike, or use private vehicles to get to their destination within the city. Beyond this small city is the big city which is the country’s capital city and which Sungwoon has always been fascinated by.

\---

“Sweetie, I’m not sure where you’ve been going after school’s done, but always come back before dinnertime, okay? Also, always be careful, it’s dangerous out there. Seongwu’s still young and he is always following you around. Be a good role model to him”, reminded Faye. 

“Yes, Mom, I will. Don’t worry, we just stay at Grandpa’s spicy rice cake stand a little outside the city. He always gives me and Seongwu spicy rice cakes for free!” Sungwoon happily announced while recalling his first encounter with the said grandpa.

\---

After waiting for Seongwu to finish his ‘cleaner of the day’ duties, Sungwoon and Seongwu walked hand-in-hand while leaving the small city. “Hyung, I’m tired…” complained Seongwu. “Don’t worry, Baby, we’re almost there…” replied Sungwoon. After walking some more blocks, Sungwoon and Seongwu sat on the bus stop bench signaling that they have entered the big city. They paused for a moment – Seongwu to catch his breath, and Sungwoon to admire the tall building across the street. 

“You want to work at Kang Empire, kid?” the bearded man with lots of silver hair on top of his head asked Sungwoon while sipping a cup of expensive hot coffee. 

“I’m sorry, did you say something?” asked Sungwoon. 

“Yes, I was asking if you want to work there”, said the man while pointing at the tall building Sungwoon was looking at. 

“Oh, no, I don’t want to work there. I just want to stand at the rooftop of that building”, replied Sungwoon. Seeing the puzzled look on the man’s face, Sungwoon explained, “I just wanted to see if I can touch the cloud if I’m up so high”, said Sungwoon.

“Why do you want to touch the cloud, kid?” asked the man.

“Well, my mother gave me my name and she said that my name means cloud. So, I’m thinking, if I’m able to touch cloud, then I’m also able to touch my mother, right?” Then like a whisper, Sungwoon continued while still looking at the tall building, “I miss my mom…so so much...I want to see her…I used to dream about her every night, but now, I cannot anymore picture her even if I’m awake…”

The man pitied and felt sorry that the boy has to experience such pain at a young age. He came up with a plan that he knows the boy could not refuse. “Look here, kid. What if I tell you that I can get you to stand at that building’s rooftop? But in return, I want you to keep me company at my spicy rice cake stand every day after school? You can have the rice cakes for free as well.”

“Really? You can do that? Where’s your spicy rice cake stand? asked Sungwoon.

“There”, said the man while pointing to the parked food truck beside the building.

“If you’re here, then who’s there now?” asked Sungwoon.

“Well, there are no customers during this time. That is why I need company since I easily get bored”, said the man.

“Oh, don’t you have kids and grandkids to keep you company?” asked Sungwoon.

“Well, I have, but they are always busy. So do we have a deal, Sungwoon?” asked the man.

“Oh, how did you know my name? I don’t remember I told you my name…” said Sungwoon while scratching his head.

“Oh, I just guessed that’s your name, since you said your name means cloud”, the man reasoned out.

“Oh, right, I said that, hihi”, said Sungwoon. “Okay, I’m in! By the way, what shall I call you?”

“You can call me Grandpa”, said the man.

“Hello, Grandpa. I’m Sungwoon and this is Seongwu. He is in grade 4 and I’m in grade 6. Nice to meet you.” Both boys then bowed their heads to show respect to the old man. The man selfishly thought, “I hope I get to remember this precious moment before I forget everything…”


	10. One Breezy Spring Day

“Old man, I told you time and time again that you can’t park your food truck here,” scolded the relatively new security guard of Kang Empire. “And young man, I told you already that I have permission from your President to be here. You can go ask him directly,” replied the old man. “And while you’re there, tell him I need to go to the rooftop with my grandchild later around 4pm.” “Tsk…now you even brought your grandchild here. Are we expecting a family reunion in that food truck soon?” snorted the security guard. The old man murmured, “I hope so…”

Just then, the black limousine owned by Kang Empire stopped right at the building entrance. The security guard and the other escorts hurriedly opened the door to reveal a middle-aged man in a black tailored suit, white long-sleeved shirt, and black-colored tie. “Good morning, President Kang!” shouted the guards and escorts in unison, while bowing their heads. 

Bruce Kang, the president, is the only son of Chairman Tony Kang who started the Kang Empire. Kang Empire controls majority of businesses in retail and service industries in the capital city, from malls to schools to real estate to banks to telecommunications, thus their opinions matter in the business circle and the government. Meanwhile, Kang Empire’s close competitor in the education sector, Park & Son, dominates the health sector. Its current president is Clark Park.

Bruce already saw the old man arguing with the security guard when he was still inside the car and sighed, “What does he want this time?” Thus, he turned to his secretary sitting on his left and said, “Jisung, you take care of the old man. You know what to do” to which Jisung replied, “Yes, Sir, I’ll handle it.”

\--- 

“Wow! This view is perfect! It’s so high I can clearly see the sky and the clouds! And the colors of the sky are so perfect especially when nearing sunset!” cried Sungwoon out loud while admiring Pantone’s color combination of cosmic sky, forever blue, and cloud cream. “Baby, be careful, you won’t survive if you fall” warned Sungwoon since he and Seongwu were holding on to the metal railings at Kang Empire’s rooftop and Seongwu was naughtily inserting his tiny head in one of the spaces between railings. “I just wish we can stay longer so that we can also see the stars. But, thank you, Grandpa! You’re the best!” Sungwoon then tightly hugged the man which the man reciprocated. “I’m glad you like it”, said the man who was touched by Sungwoon’s gesture. He does not remember being appreciated for doing such an act of kindness. 

“Here, kids, have some spicy rice cakes”, said the man while directing the kids to sit on the stone bench near the railings. The man was about to ask how the kids’ day went when he was interrupted by Jisung who told him, “Sir, your time’s up. You may now leave the building premises.” Although it was only for a short time, the man was grateful to Jisung for granting his request. While inside the elevator going down to the building lobby, he was happy to see the smiles on the kids’ faces which made him wonder why he cannot have a good time like this with his other grandchildren. 

Since that day at the rooftop, Sungwoon and Seongwu were able to visit the man at his spicy rice cake stand almost every day. It is the man who prepares and cooks the spicy rice cake and teaches the two kids on how to cook as well. Although he had promised free spicy rice cakes, the man would always say, “Kids, nothing in life is free yet hard work pays off, so you have to work hard in order to achieve whatever your heart desires. With their constant visits and regular training from the man, after some time, Sungwoon and Seongwu learned how to make a spicy rice cake and would sometimes assist the man, especially when the man complains of being tired and sleepy. Most of the time though, Sungwoon and Seongwu just sit on one of the chairs and update the man of what’s happening in their lives, while the man listens and shares to them some life lessons.

\---

When Sungwoon reached Grade 10, Faye had a heart-to-heart talk with him. “Sweetie, what do you want to take up in college? You know we have to decide this early so that we don’t waste your two years in senior high school.” asked Faye. 

Sungwoon hesitated then replied, “Uhm, I actually don’t know…I don’t think it will matter.” 

“Why do you think like that? Don’t you have a dream?” asked Faye.

“It’s just…you know…I don’t think big companies will hire me if they knew I don’t have a family…I don’t even have a family name…” Sungwoon pouted his lips and stared at the floor.

“That’s nonsense! We are your family. You will always be an Ong.”

“But Baby does not want me to be an Ong,” Sungwoon continued to pout.

“Did Seongwu say that to you? I will talk to him about this. Meanwhile, what do you want to take up in college?” asked Faye.

“I want to take up music, but I don’t think it pays well…I want to repay you and Dad for taking me in…I don’t want to continue to be a burden to you so I might just work instead of study” said Sungwoon.

“Sungwoon sweetie, you’re not a burden to us…I love your emotional voice…I think music major will suit you well. You can repay us all you want once you’ve become a famous singer.” Faye then hugged Sungwoon tightly and just before Sungwoon can say anything else, Seongwu arrived home after his group meeting for a class project.

“Seongwu, I need to talk to you,” Faye then got up from the couch and motioned Seongwu to follow her to her bedroom, closed the door, and sit on her bed.

“What’s this I heard from Sungwoon that you don’t want him to be part of the family? Is this true?” asked Faye immediately once Seongwu sat beside her.

“WHAT?!? Of course I want Hyung to be part of the family, there’s no such thing!” defended Seongwu.

“Oh, is that true? Then why did Sungwoon say that you don’t want him to be an Ong?” Faye curiously asked his son.

“Oh…that…well, I just don’t want Hyung to use our family name,” Seongwu sheepishly replied.

“What? I’m confused. You want Sungwoon to be part of the family but you don’t want him to use our family name. Why is that?” asked Faye.

Seongwu bowed his head and did not answer his mother’s question.

“Seongwu, is there something that you’re not telling me?” Faye asked Seongwu with authority.

“Promise me first that you won’t tell anyone, especially Hyung. Pinkie swear?” said Seongwu.

“Okay, I promise” said Faye while doing the pinkie promise. “Now, tell me.”

“I want to marry Hyung! If Hyung becomes an Ong then I cannot anymore marry him since he will then become my brother and I cannot marry my own brother, right?” Seongwu innocently said.

Faye was not able to reply immediately since she was taken aback by the information shared by Seongwu. Once she had recovered from the shock, she calmly said, “Seongwu, you cannot marry Sungwoon even if he is not an Ong…since you’re a boy, you should marry a girl, and not another boy...that’s just how it is.”

“But I want to marry Hyung! I love Hyung so much…he takes care of me, protects me, and makes me happy all the time. I don’t need a girl, I just need Hyung,” replied Seongwu.

Faye then laughed for a little while before replying Seongwu. “Sweetie, your hyung is doing those things because you are his little brother. As the older brother, it is his duty to protect and take care of you. Besides, you’re too young to know love. It is probably just a puppy love or a brotherly love even, since you’re always with Sungwoon and do things together all the time. Try to distance yourself from him, join clubs, meet new friends, and you will notice that your so-called love for your hyung will disappear. I will tell him to stop calling you ‘Baby’ and call you by your real name instead.”

“But I don’t want to be away from Hyung…I want to be with him always…”said Seongwu before the door to the bedroom opened. Peter, who just arrived home from work, noticed the tension in the room then asked, “What happened to the two of you?”

“Dad, you talk some sense into Seongwu. He thinks he is in love with Sungwoon,” Faye instructed her husband.

“Seongwu, is this true? Are you in love with Sungwoon?” asked Peter.

“Yes, Dad, I’m in love with Hyung; I’m going to marry him someday. It’s only Mom who does not believe me,“ replied Seongwu while sulking.

“Seongwu, you cannot marry Sungwoon, that will be against the law! You know our law tells us that only a boy and a girl can get married, not two boys. So if you two marry then you will break the law and there will be punishment for that,” explained Peter.

“Well, the law is not fair! I should be able to freely marry who I want to marry,” Seongwu then started to get emotional and teary-eyed.

“Seongwu, you know, there will still be a lot to learn as you grow older…For now, you should know that both the law and society are not yet accepting of a boy/boy marriage. After hearing Peter’s words of advice, Seongwu’s tears start to wet his parents’ comforter while Faye consoles his son.

\---

“Sungwoon, come here and meet Master Logan,” said Faye while sitting beside a tanned middle-aged man who’s wearing a big straw hat, long beaded necklace, brown ensemble, and open-toed slippers with socks. It reminded Sungwoon of the people he would normally see in a kung-fu movie. “Master Logan is from the temple in the big city. He is here to help you find a suitable family name,’ said Faye. 

Sungwoon bowed to their visitor, while Master Logan was silently scrutinizing his facial features. Master Logan then addressed both Faye and Sungwoon, “I’ll tell you the history of the family names so that you can decide which is the best one for you. The Kangs are good cooks, they manage their finances well but they are stingy and greedy; The Yoons are good advisers, they listen well but they are chatty and often start rumors; The Lais are good in language, they communicate well but they are tactless; The Hwangs are good managers, they plan and organize well but they are too obsessed with perfection; The Parks are good doctors, they help people in need but they prioritize their needs above all else; The Ongs are good artists, they are self-righteous but they don’t push for what they believe in.” Master Logan continued, “Majority of the family names are male-dominated. But from your facial features, you might want a female-dominated family name. We have two common female-dominated families, the Has and the Hans. Both are known for their beauty. The Has are good wives, they take good care of the household but not themselves; while the Hans are good second wives, they take good care of themselves for the sake of their partners but not the household.”

Faye interrupted, “Ooh… I did not know that. I’m sorry, Master, please continue. I’m a Ha so I was surprised to hear about my family name characteristics.”

“Mom, you’re a Ha? I thought you’re an Ong?” asked Sungwoon.

“Sweetie, I’m an Ong because I married your father, but I was born in the Ha family. It’s a pretty common name during our time…even my best friend is a Ha,” said Faye.

“Have you decided on a family name yet, my child?” Master Logan turned to Sungwoon for answers.

“Uhm…all families have their good and bad sides…I think I’ll go with Ong. I’m currently into music so if the Ongs are good artists, then I want to be one as well.” Sungwoon then asked Faye, “Is it okay, Mom?”

“Of course, Sweetie, you may use Ong as your family name,” Faye said while smiling to Sungwoon.

“Okay, I’ll write it down for you so that you may register it. May I now look at your palm, my child?” Once Sungwoon stretched his hand to Master Logan, the expert started with his prediction about Sungwoon. “You’ll have to be careful about people around you…they will be the cause for the misfortune that you’re going to experience soon. Once you’re able to surpass this, great things will follow so you should not give up and just move forward” said Master Logan.

“Can you elaborate more, Master?” asked Faye. 

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Ong, that is all that I can say for now. Your family relationship and wealth will also be greatly affected by this child’s future so you have to make better decisions,” continued Master Logan who stood up then said, “I will take my leave now, can you escort me to the door?”

Startled by the request, Faye obliged and when the two reached the door, Master Logan cautioned Faye, “That child will bring you bad luck in the next few years. You might be better off asking him to leave the house so that his negative energy won’t drag you and your family down.” Faye then replied without thinking, “Thank you, Master Logan, will do.” Sungwoon unfortunately heard the last part of the conversation between his Mom and the man from the temple. 

\---

When Seongwu was in Grade 9 and Sungwoon in Grade 11, it became harder for the two to visit the spicy rice cake stand due to their after-class review sessions and extra-curricular activities. This prompted the man to obtain the applicable permit and transfer his food truck near Sungwoon’s and Seongwu’s school. Seongwu would sometimes eat there with his photography club mates or his fellow cheerleaders, while Sungwoon would most of the time go there alone after his choir practice. Rarely now do Seongwu and Sungwoon visit the man at the same time. 

When the man can get Seongwu alone in his food truck, he would normally strike a conversation with the kid which Seongwu would sometimes find weird. “Why would Grandpa even tell me that Hyung and I look good together, that he approves of me and Hyung? Hyung and I are not even a couple and will never be one! And why would we need his approval…that Grandpa sure is getting weirder by the day,” Seongwu thought.

On a slow day, the man would ask Sungwoon to play chess with him. Initially, Sungwoon’s reaction was, “Grandpa, why chess? Also, I don’t know how to play it.” 

“Don’t worry, I’ll teach you the rules. The doctor recommended me to do crossword puzzles and games that stimulate thinking. We can do other games if you don’t like chess,” replied the man. 

“Are you sick, Grandpa? Why do you visit a doctor? I’m okay with whatever game, let’s play whatever you want!” said Sungwoon. 

“No, kid, it’s just old age…nothing to worry about…” said the man. Sungwoon would later find out that the man is slowly forgetting things and having a hard time remembering names. The man later confessed to him that he was diagnosed with mild dementia although Sungwoon does not know what it was. 

\---

It was the last day of Sungwoon’s Grade 12 class when the man told Sungwoon that he will have to close down his spicy rice cake stand.

“But why, Grandpa? Seongwu will still be here.” 

“Silly child, I’m not closing shop just because you’re graduating…it’s just that I need to go somewhere else,” said the man.

“Oh…now I’m going to be really lonely until classes start. You’re not anymore going to be here and Seongwu was able to get scholarship for summer camp so I don’t have anyone to talk to, other than mom and dad.”

“Seongwu got a scholarship for summer camp? What about you? How was your application to the artist workshop?” asked the man.

“Oh, that…The summer camp is also the one-month live-out artist workshop that I applied for. Since it will be in the big city, the fee will be expensive so I applied for scholarship. It’s a funny story actually. Since I’m not familiar with the place, Mom asked Seongwu to accompany me to the interview but when the panel chair saw him waiting outside the interview room, he was escorted inside the room and successfully got in. Guess it’s really in his blood; Seongwu said the panel members told him that they saw a lot of potential in him,” sighed Sungwoon. 

After hearing that Seongwu was the one who got the scholarship, Sungwoon felt sad for missing out on a great opportunity to hone his talents further since this can be a good preparation for his college days. Sungwoon enrolled in the conservatory of music in college. His batch will only have one section of 30 students and he was one of five who got a scholarship. He was not expecting to pass the college entrance test and be entitled to a scholarship at the same time so he wanted to do his best and that’s the reason why he applied for an artist workshop during the summer break, which unfortunately he did not pass. 

Stopping his train of thoughts, the man asked, “Sungwoon, your classes at the conservatory will start mid-September, right? So you don’t have anything to do after your graduation in April and prior to start of classes?” 

“Yes, Grandpa, that is correct. Why do you ask?” replied Sungwoon. 

“Well, how do you like to earn extra while you’re on break?” offered the man.

“Like what?” asked Sungwoon.

“Like take care of an old man with dementia. What you will receive here can be used as your allowance money so that you don’t need to ask money from your parents”, said the man.

“Grandpa, are you the old man with dementia?” asked Sungwoon.

“What if I said yes?” said the man.

“Oh, Grandpa, of course I will take care of you; I’d gladly accept it” said Sungwoon while hugging the man.

“I’m glad to hear that. I’ll pay you 1,000 a day for 12 hours. If you’d like to stay-in, I can arrange for your room. If you stay outside, I can give you off days with pay instead”, said the man.

“Thank you, Grandpa! I’d like to stay outside and come back to my family every day. Thank you for this blessing! I will treasure this new experience” replied Sungwoon. Unbeknown to Sungwoon, an unforgettable experience is waiting for him soon… 

\---

A heavily-tinted and expensive black sports-utility vehicle stopped in front of Sungwoon who was standing near the school gate. A guy dressed in suit and well-combed hair stepped out of the vehicle to inform Sungwoon that they will transport him to his part-time job. Sungwoon did not have any expectations whatsoever so he was wearing comfortable clothes and shoes and just brought with him a small black backpack with a few essentials inside (wallet, mobile phone, change of clothes, and bottled water). He tries to memorize the way to his part-time job so that he can independently go there next time.

Sungwoon noticed that from the Kang Empire building, the ride to the house was a bit short. They passed by a guard house so Sungwoon thought that they are going to one of the houses in the subdivision. To Sungwoon’s surprise, there was only one house in the entire area. He mumbled to himself, “This is not an ordinary house…this is a mansion.”

Upon entering the house, he was greeted by more than a dozen staff all wearing the same black-and-white uniform. At the end and towards the main lobby, he saw sitting on his wheelchair a familiar face and shouted, “Grandpa!” Sungwoon then placed a kiss on the man’s cheeks while hugging him tightly which earned some murmurs from the staff. “Sungwoon, you’re here! Welcome to my home. Consider my home as your home. Whatever you need, just tell Kuanlin, while pointing to the tall kid beside him, or this man on my other side, who is also Kuanlin’s father. After the formal introductions, Sungwoon can’t help but ask, “Grandpa, do you own all of this?”

Kuan Lin, being new in his job, interrupted the conversation then said, “Oh, you don’t know Chairman Kang owns this?” 

“Who’s Chairman Kang?” Sungwoon innocently asked.

“Sungwoon, I’m Tony Kang, Chairman of the Kang Empire. I own the tall building beside the spicy rice cake stand plus a few others,” replied the man sitting on wheelchair.

“WHAT?” Sungwoon replied in shock. “Uh...uhm...I’m sorry, Chairman Kang, I did not know…” Sungwoon shyly replied then bowed his head.

“Don’t worry, Sungwoon. You and Seongwu can still call me grandpa; I don’t mind. You two are actually closer to me than my other grandchildren”, said Tony. “Kuan Lin, please escort Sungwoon to his room.”

“My room? But Grandpa…I mean…Chairman, I will not be staying in so I do not need a room. Besides, you can give it to others who might need it,” replied Sungwoon.

“There are many rooms in this house. I’d like to assign one room to you while you’re here. You know, sometimes, you also need some sleep, some privacy…Just accept it and don’t be stubborn, call me Grandpa,” said Tony.

“Thank you, Chairman, err…I mean Grandpa,” said Sungwoon.

\---

Ever since that day, Sungwoon would always go to Chairman Kang’s house and take care of him. He would normally stay in the Chairman’s bedroom, massage him while singing him songs, or simply chat with him. Other days, he will push the man’s wheelchair outside the mansion and stay in the garden or by the pool. On certain days, they will have to go to the hospital for the man’s regular check-up and consultation or to other places just to eat out. During the last five months that Sungwoon was hired as Chairman Kang’s personal nurse, Sungwoon felt happy that he was able to help the man and at the same time he can have some company and have some extra money when school starts. He, however, gets worried that the man is slowly becoming more forgetful – Chairman Kang would normally ask the same questions over and over in a span of an hour and would sometimes ask him who this and that person are even when Sungwoon has been sharing stories of these people when they were at the spicy rice cake stand. 

On his last day, Sungwoon received from Chairman Kang a brown envelope with his pay in it. He was surprise to see cash totaling 200,000 inside. “Grandpa, this is too much, I cannot accept this,” said Sungwoon.

“My child, that is your pay for the last five months…it’s what you deserve. I wish you can stay longer but I don’t want to burden you when you start your studies.” 

“But really, Grandpa, my pay is too much. I did not work on a Sunday so that should be deducted from my pay. So counting all days, I’d say it should only be 150,000.” Sungwoon said while demonstrating his math skills to the man.

“Plus tip. A satisfied customer here,” said Chairman Kang while pointing to himself.

Sungwoon laughed at the man’s antics and said, “Okay, I’ll accept this. Thank you, Grandpa! I’ll be sure to visit you if I’m not busy with school work, and you don’t have to pay me for that.” Sungwoon happily told Chairman Kang while putting the envelope in his small black backpack with cloud keychain.

Sungwoon was about to bid farewell to Chairman Kang, when suddenly he got dragged out of the chairman’s bedroom by two big men in suits.


	11. One Memorable Boys' Night Out

Daniel has started executing his plan on capturing the heart of his crush and making him his. At first, he befriended Seongwu because of the information that he can get from him, but later discovered that Seongwu is a good friend after all.

From the Kang Crew’s boys’ night out together with Seongwu, Daehwi, and Jinyoung, Daniel has learned that Seongwu and Princess are still going strong and that Seongwu blurts out anything under the sun when drunk with no memories of whatever was said or done the following day. So, Daniel took this opportunity to invite Seongwu to a drinking session with him and he purposely drank a little while making Seongwu drink a lot to get him drunk. When he noticed that his drinking buddy has his cheeks flushed and is snoring a little, Daniel asked all the information that he wanted to know. He started asking Seongwu some basic questions like, “Seongwu, do you want more beer?”, “Can you still handle drinking this bottle?”, “Do you want more chicken to go with that?”

“Hnngg…no, I’m okay…hnngg,” replied Seongwu.

“I’ll get the bill, okay?” Daniel asked but he did not receive any response from Seongwu who had his head leaned on the restaurant window. He then started asking away. “Is Sungwoon a girl or a boy?”

Hearing the name of Sungwoon, Seongwu slightly moved his head and answered, “Hmm…boy.”

“Is Sungwoon attracted to a girl or a boy?”

“Hmmm…I… don’t know…Hyung has never had a girlfriend…or a boyfriend, but a boy-boy relationship…that cannot be!” Seongwu said with slurred speech. Daniel was happy with the information even though Seongwu is not sure whether his crush prefers male or female. Daniel believes that with his charm and appeal, any male or female can easily fall in love with him so just knowing that Sungwoon is not into any relationship made him happy.

“Are you still living with him?”

“Hmmm…no, Hyung has moved out of the house…He is renting a dorm beside the hospital w…”

Daniel was so happy that Sungwoon moved out of Seongwu’s house that he did not probe further on Sungwoon’s living quarters. Daniel would also find out from Seongwu that Sungwoon is two years older than Seongwu and he has almost completed his nursing internship and goes only to the dance studio during his rest days. He is expecting to graduate in August and would already start working after graduation while reviewing for the nursing board exam. Daniel was disappointed to know that despite their large market share in the education sector, Sungwoon was not enrolled in any of their family-owned universities. 

“Is Sungwoon mute?”

“Huh…no, Hyung has a lovely voice…he just does not talk to strangers a lot after that…that incident…”

“What incident?”

“Hyung, he…I should have been there…I should have not been at summer camp…Hyung was supposed to be a singer, but they…aagghh!” Seongwu then hold his head as if it is hurting.

“Who were they? What did they do to my Sungwoon?!?” Daniel furiously asked. Seongwu suddenly sobbed loudly which startled Daniel and annoyed some of the customers, so Daniel covered Seongwu’s mouth to muffle his voice. Daniel initially thought that Seongwu is already sober since he took out his phone from his pocket and dialed and redialed a number, but after several unanswered calls, he heard Seongwu snoring. He then heard a faint voice somewhere near him, “Seongwu…” 

Daniel realized that the voice came from Seongwu’s phone, so when Daniel picked up the phone and checked the contact name, he noticed that Seongwu called “Sungwoon Hyung”, so with trembling hands, he replied, “Hello??? Uhm…if you’re looking for Seongwu, he fell asleep at the restaurant.” There was a long pause that Daniel thought the line went dead. Suddenly, he heard the other party said, “Which restaurant is that?” Daniel mentioned the restaurant name to Sungwoon and waited patiently for his crush while thinking, “Daniel, this is your chance! Talk to him! Let him know that you are not a stranger!”

Half an hour passed when the restaurant door opened and in came Sungwoon. Sungwoon was dressed in a simple black and white long-sleeved cotton shirt and pants ensemble with cap and mask, but Daniel was left speechless since he can still see Sungwoon’s beauty underneath all those coverings. Recovering from his initial shock, Daniel immediately looked away to avoid Sungwoon suspecting that he knows him. Sungwoon, upon seeing Seongwu sleeping, approached Daniel’s table and softly said, “Uhm…I’m here to bring Seongwu home.” 

Daniel, feeling giddy to hear his crush speak to him, acted like he does not know his crush. “I’m Daniel, Seongwu’s friend from the dance studio, and you are…” Daniel said while extending his trembling hand. 

Sungwoon noticed that the other person’s face seemed familiar so when he mentioned about the dance studio, he recalled that he was the person who is trying to break up Seongwu and Princess so he replied, “I’m Sungwoon, Seongwu’s hyung.” Sungwoon did not shake Daniel’s hand so Daniel had no choice but to retreat his hand and act like he just stretched his arms. Daniel did not put any malice to Sungwoon’s introduction knowing that the two used to live together under one roof so he just continued, “Nice to meet you, Sungwoon hyung!” which earned Sungwoon’s frown. Seeing the older’s reaction, Daniel justified his greeting by saying, “Seongwu and I are the same age so is it okay to call you hyung?”

“Are you trying to break-up Seongwu’s relationship with Princess?” asked Sungwoon.

Although surprised by the question, Daniel still answered truthfully, “What?!? No!”

“Then, you can call me Hyung if you want,” replied Sungwoon. Sungwoon was busy lifting Seongwu’s body that he did not notice Daniel was grinning from ear-to-ear because of his response. “I’ll help you, Hyung!” Daniel offered. “No, it’s okay, I got this. Have we paid already?” asked Sungwoon while Seongwu’s body was leaning on his back. “Yes, I have settled the bill. My car is just outside, I can ask the driver to drive you home,” Daniel offered. “No, it’s fine, I brought a car,” Sungwoon lied. “Then, I’ll help you to bring Seongwu to the car,” Daniel insisted. Still, Sungwoon stayed firm in his decision and replied, “Thank you for your help, I already got this.” Sungwoon annoyingly replied. Seeing that his Hyung might not yet trust him, Daniel gave away this opportunity to be closer to his crush and waved goodbye to Sungwoon while thinking, “Next time, Hyung…there’s always a next time…” 

When Daniel arrived home, he hurriedly went to his bedroom, changed his clothes, lay down on his bed, and took out his phone. He cannot control his happiness since he already made some progress with his crush. First, his crush already knows him; Second, he was able to strike a conversation with him; Third, he was able to freely call him Hyung even on first meeting; and Fourth, he already has his crush’s number which he had copied while waiting for him at the restaurant a while ago. After his excitement subsided, he got worried of the new information that he had gotten from Seongwu, and what his next steps should be.

Slowly, Daniel sat down on his bed and started to enter some notes on his phone. 

“What do I know? Hyung is about to finish his internship so he would have more time to go to the dance studio…but then my workshop schedule would have ended by then…Should I ask Dad to enroll me and my friends for more dance sessions? Should I try ballroom dancing this time? But Jaehwan and Woojin will kill me, so I don’t think so. If he does not talk a lot to strangers, I have to make sure that we become friends so that he feels comfortable with me. I hope I get to ask someone about his incident. It might have been so severe that it gave him trauma to talk to people. If he pursued singing, we would have been a great combination of singer and dancer. Anyway, too bad he gave up on his singing…oh, wait, I have a great idea! I can invite the troop to a karaoke session with Hyung!”

The next day, Daniel told the group of Seongwu and his crew of his invitation for a karaoke night, which everyone agreed to. He purposely told Seongwu to invite Sungwoon Hyung since he wanted to thank him personally for the other night. When Seongwu was asking what the other night was all about, Daniel remained mum on the matter since it might be weird to everyone else that he is treating Sungwoon for taking Seongwu home, when it should be Seongwu who is treating his Hyung. And since Daniel already opened up the karaoke as his treat to Sungwoon, all the others are okay with following Sungwoon’s availability. Although hesitant to go, Sungwoon accepted Daniel’s karaoke night invitation with the prodding of Seongwu and Daehwi.

Fortunately for Daniel, Sungwoon is available that Saturday, so he was able to arrange for their usual boys’ night out but this time including Sungwoon. Although Sungwoon felt awkward since it is his first time to meet Jaehwan and Woojin, the group’s camaraderie made Sungwoon feel at ease and relaxed all throughout the night. After munching on some snacks, Daniel started a friendly competition between two groups, and since according to Daniel, both Woojin and him are rappers, they need to reshuffle the groups so the first group is composed of Jaehwan, Woojin, Jinyoung, and Seongwu, while the second group is composed of Sungwoon, Daehwi, and Daniel. To ensure fairness, each group will select the song to be sung by the other group. 

For Seongwu, he did not care much about the competition and just wanted to hear his Hyung’s sweet singing voice. Since he knew his Hyung’s favorite song from way back, Seongwu entered “In Front of Your House” for Daniel’s group to sing. Since Daehwi and Daniel were not familiar with the song, Sungwoon hesistantly sang the song with his emotional voice. After the song ended, Seongwu, Sungwoon, and Daehwi were in tears.

“Why are you three crying?” Daniel asked.

“These are tears of joy, Daniel hyung! Sungwoon Hyung sang the song so beautifully. We are sure to win this!” replied Daehwi. True enough, Sungwoon received a perfect score of 100 for his song rendition. 

“But Seongwu is part of our team, why is he crying with you?” Jaehwan asked seeing that Seongwu and Sungwoon are now hugging each other while crying.

“These are also tears of joy. It’s the first time that I have heard Hyung sing again after he entered college, I’m so happy for Hyung,” Seongwu then turned to Daniel then said, “Thank you, Daniel, for tonight.”

Sungwoon, who released himself from Seongwu’s embrace, said, “I never thought that I would sing again…thank you, Daniel. You gave me my voice back.”

Although still at a loss at what’s happening but because of the atmosphere, no one dared to ask more questions so Daniel just replied, “You’re welcome. I’m happy to be of help.” Inside though, Daniel is confused with his emotions. He is happy because his hyung is happy and he had done a good job, but at the same time, he is envious of the hug. He was the one his hyung was thankful for but why was he not the one being hugged?”

He then heard Seongwu whispered, “Hyung, you’re slowly getting better already! Fighting!” Seongwu then raised his hand and balled his fist to give his hyung a fighting gesture. Sungwoon just nodded. Daniel promised to himself that he will have to uncover soon what that incident was all about if he wants his crush to freely accept him into his life…


End file.
